Outreach scheme keeping kids off the street

The coordinator of a youth outreach program in Alice Springs says the service has promoted positive activities over the summer to mitigate against crime.

The Youth Street Outreach Service operates throughout the night to interact with youth at risk through a raft of social activities and personal intervention.

Coordinator James Gatenby says his team has been working closely with police to stop youth crime and the results are promising.

"That has been difficult at times with regards to the attitudes and peer pressure that they have all been subject to, so in terms of continually being able to go out there and catch up with young people and their families and talk to them about the impacts that the offending is having not only currently on them but also into the future," he said.

He says they have focused on a core group, who are known to have committed crimes, to keep them off the streets.

"We've been really pleased by the numbers of young people that have attended the activities that we've organised and through the community support," he said.

"Certainly at the New Year's Eve party we had 320 young people that attended, so ... those were 320 young people that weren't out on the streets of Alice Springs that were engaged in meaningful activities."

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